Familydaysout - John Carter challenges daughter Millie on a trip to Thorpe Park Thorpe Park.

An unforgettable experience in more ways than one.

It was the place where my daughter Millie enjoyed a magical 13th birthday with three friends. And it was the place where this competitive dad well and truly lost his crown as the Rollercoaster King.

In the build-up to our outing to the theme park in Surrey I’d already been given a list of do’s and don’ts all ‘embarrassing dads’ can relate to – No singing in the car. No whistling in the car. No Dad jokes. In fact, ‘no sound from your mouth’ just about covered it.

But the biggest rule of the lot? “There is no way you’re hanging out with us once we get there”.

Fortunately my partner had agreed to meet me there so I didn’t have to experience the rides alone. But the instructions from Millie were clear. “You head in one direction, we’ll go in the other.”

Fair enough. But as much as wanting to ensure they were getting on ok, I also wanted to keep tabs on how many rides they’d been on so I didn’t lose out in the rollercoaster stakes. Competitive Dad and all that...

So the texting began...

Me: “What you been on Millie?”

Her: “The Swarm. It was sick. We got on the front carriage.”

Mmmmmm. How was I going to better that? I’d bottled it the last time but this ride, which reaches a height of 127ft, allows eight thrillseekers to go backwards. That’s what I’d do to cancel out Millie’s ‘sitting in the front’.

And when we reached there later in the day I was as good as my word. Going backwards offers an awesome experience as your stomach churns all the way round.

Me: “How you getting on Millie?”

Her: “Just done Stealth. Heading for KFC.”

Stealth? Ok, I can handle that. 0-80mph in under two seconds, reaching a height of 205ft before a dramatic twist mid-air and a swoosh back down. Done and dusted within 19 seconds. This was one really gets the heart racing but you’ll be crying tears of laughter by the time you’re back at the race station.

Me: “All ok Millie?”

Her: “Yep. We just did Saw The Ride and we’re about to do Samurai. Hilarious.”

I had it covered. Saw was where we’d started and it’s my favourite ride at the park. You reach a maximum height of 100ft before dropping the same distance at an inverted angle of 100 degrees.

My partner had played it cool when we experienced Saw for the first time last year, but this time there was no way of containing the fear as she screamed the whole way round.

But Millie had been on Samurai, a flat ride with lots of swirling mid-air, so I needed to counter.

“Do you dare ride the Colossus?” I challenged.

“Nah,” she replied. “That hurt my head the last time. We’re not doing it.”

Yessssss! With two corkscrews, a vertical loop, five heartline rolls and a cobra roll (lots of twists and turns upside down to you and I), this surely put me in front on the rollercoaster leaderboard.

Millie’s right, it can hurt your head. But pin your shoulder blades back against the carriage and you’ll be just fine. It’s a brilliant ride and a close second to Saw in my book.

Me: “What about Nemesis Inferno then Millie?”

Her: “Yeah. Done that. We’re heading back to Swarm.”

Shucks. I was falling behind again. There was no time for a rest. Straight to Nemesis Inferno to complete the last of Thorpe Park’s ‘big five’.

Your feet dangle in this one as the ride offers a G-Force of 4.2, which is apparently the same G-Force an astronaut experiences during a rocket launch. It starts rather tamely but all of a sudden picks up as you twist upside down on 2,461ft of track, reaching a maximum height of 115ft in the process.

Content this one was in the bag, my rollercoaster riding was done for the day.

It was time for a hot drink, convinced I’d be able to win the bragging rights on the journey home by telling them what they’d missed out on by skipping Colossus.

There was still time to treat them to a Pizza Hut buffet at the park (on separate tables, obviously).

But then came the bombshell.

Me: “We’re just having a drink Millie. What have you been doing for the last half-hour?”

Her: “Oh. We’ve just been on Nemesis Inferno six times in a row...”

SIX times? SIX? How could I possibly compete with that?

For the best deals on Thorpe Park tickets, book online before you go. The price is £27.99 for a one-day ticket bought in advance, and that rises to £48.99 if you buy on the day (but that includes an annual pass). The park is open from 10am daily. Go to www.thorpepark.com to book